Long and Short Reviews

Heart of Hythea by Suzanne Francis
Mushroom eBooks
Sci-fi/Fantasy
Full Length, Sweet
Review by Dandelion

Yrth... a place of ordered beauty -- and undreamed of terror. A magical realm where winged Amaranthine hide in the shadow of humankind, while selfishly exploiting them. A universe of countless dimensions; where an unwary sideways step might carry you to Death's silent Kingdom -- or beyond, to the very heart of the rising Gyre.

Now into this world comes Katrione Estelle du Chesne, a born healer. The Amaranthine need her, for she is destined to become the Vessel of the Goddess Lalluna and a pawn in the battle against their enemy, the dark Angellus. And Katrione's fellow citizens, in the nation of Beaumarais, are also desperately in need of a healing touch, as they suffer through an endlessly bloody civil war. The difficult choices that Katrione must make--between humankind and Amaranthine--true love and responsibility--sworn oath and unhappy truth, make for compulsive reading.

Heart of Hythea is the first book in the Song of the Arkafina series.

♥ ♥ ♥

This is a sweeping novel which takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions, from steadfast love to jealous betrayal in an expansive tale of great love versus a greater social calling. Privileged Katrione du Chesne and poor blacksmith Jacq Benet meet as children, and though they are from different worlds (in more than one way), they fall deeply in love. This love carries them through heartache, physical torment, war, secrets, and finally, the ultimate battle for the city of St.Valery. Ultimately, Katrione must choose between her calling to be the true healer that can stop the wars, and her love for Jacq, a great soldier who fights in them.

I really enjoyed this story and felt fully engaged in the characters' struggles. However, I would recommend reading the appendices and glossaries that appear at the end of the story before beginning the book. They contain a good deal of information that will make this fantasy world a little clearer.

My only reservation is, despite the benefit of the appendices and glossaries, the world building is vague at times -- especially in the cryptic few lines spoken by otherworldly beings at the beginning of each chapter. Other than this drawback, the story is strong and appealing.

Ms. Francis paints her setting with specific, colorful details that completely drew me into the land of Yrth and its ongoing civil war. Around every corner waits danger, either in human or otherworldly form, and the author balances all of these dangers quite well. The relationship between Jacq and Katrione is both believable and complex, and threatened again and again, so that you'll be flipping the pages to see what happens next.

I recommend it highly.